Office Pool Rules

American Idol Pool - Top 24

Goal

To accumulate the most points throughout the television show's season.

How To Score Points

There are three ways to get points:

  • Pick the overall American Idol winner once the top 12 are announced - if you're correct, you get 40 points. If your selection finishes 2nd, you get 20 points. If your selection is 3rd, you get 10 points. Note - if you make your overall selection late (after the week they are due), you will get less points for being correct (decreases 25% each week).
  • Pick who is sent home each week. When there are more than 12 contestants, you pick two girls and two guys each week that you think will go home. You will get 5 points for each person you correctly pick. Once the contestants are down to 12 people, you have 20 points to allocate to who you think will be sent home each week. You can bet all your points on one person, or spread your 20 points among multiple contestants. You receive the number of points you allocate to the person who is eliminated. On the show finale - we double the points to 40 and on this final show, you're predicting who wins - not who loses.
  • Bonus questions - this is an optional feature in the pool as designated by your pool commissioner. Bonus point questions are created by Fun Office Pools and are typically worth 2-5 points each. A sample bonus question is "Who is in the bottom three?". Your pool can have 0, 1 or 2 bonus questions each week.

When Are Picks Due

Picks are due each week before the elimination show airs on the east coast - typically 8:00 pm ET on Wednesdays (Thursdays when there are more than 12 contestants). You can change your picks after submitting them up until the deadline, so it is advisable to get your picks in early. Picks for the overall winner are due for the elimination show that reduces the contestants to 11. You can still get points if you get your overall pick in late, just not the full amount (see above).

Default Picks

If you forget to get your picks in you'll get the default picks (picks made by Fun Office Pools admins), so you won't be shut out if you miss a week. However, there is no default pick for the overall winner - so you need to make that pick after you sign up or you'll lose your chance for getting the maximum of 40 points at the end of the pool.

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American Idol Pool - Top 12

Goal

To accumulate the most points throughout the television show's season.

How To Score Points

There are three ways to get points:

  • Pick the overall American Idol winner at the beginning of the season - if you're correct, you get 40 points. If your selection finishes 2nd, you get 20 points. If your selection is 3rd, you get 10 points. Note - if you make your overall selection late (after the first week of that pool), you will get less points for being correct (decreases 25% each week).
  • Pick who is sent home each week. You have 20 points to allocate to who you think will be sent home each week. You can bet all your points on one person, or spread your 20 points among multiple contestants. You receive the number of points you allocate to the person who is eliminated. On the show finale - we double the points to 40 and on this final show, you're predicting who wins - not who loses.
  • Bonus questions - this is an optional feature in the pool as designated by your pool commissioner. Bonus point questions are created by Fun Office Pools and are typically worth 2-5 points each. A sample bonus question is "Who is in the bottom three?". Your pool can have 0, 1 or 2 bonus questions each week.

When Are Picks Due

Picks are due each week before the elimination show airs on the east coast - typically 8:00 pm ET on Wednesdays. You can change your picks after submitting them up until the deadline, so it is advisable to get your picks in early. Picks for the overall winner are due with the first week picks. IYou can still get points if you get your overall pick in late, just not the full amount (see above).

Default Picks

If you forget to get your picks in you'll get the default picks (picks made by Fun Office Pools admins), so you won't be shut out if you miss a week. However, there is no default pick for the overall winner - so you need to make that pick after you sign up or you'll lose your chance for the maximum of 40 points at the end of the pool

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Amazing Race Pool

Goal

To accumulate the most points throughout the television show's season.

How To Score Points

There are three ways to get points:

  • Pick the overall winning team of the show at the beginning of the season - if you're correct, you get 50 points. If your selection finishes 2nd, you get 30 points. If your selection is 3rd, you get 10 points. Note - if your pool allows you to join late, you will get less points (decreases each week) if you pick an overall winner late.
  • Pick who finishes last each week. You have 25 points to allocate to who you think will be last each week. You can bet all your points on one team, or spread your 25 points among multiple contestants. You receive the number of points you allocate to the team who is last. Note - you get the points whether it is an elimination leg or a non-elimination leg.
  • Bonus questions - this is an optional feature in the pool as designated by your pool commissioner. Bonus point questions are created by Fun Office Pools and are typically worth 2-5 points each. A sample bonus question is "Which occurs first - detour or roadblock?". Your pool can have 0, 1, 2 or 3 bonus questions each week.

When Are Picks Due

Picks are due each week before the show airs on the east coast - typically 8:00 pm ET on Sundays. You can change your picks after submitting them up until the deadline, so it is advisable to get your picks in early. Picks for the overall winner are due with the first week picks.

Default Picks

If you forget to get your picks in you'll get the default picks (picks made by Fun Office Pools admins), so you won't be shut out if you miss a week. However, there is no default pick for the overall winner - so you need to make that pick after you sign up or you'll lose your chance for 50 points at the end of the pool

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CBS Survivor Pool

Goal

To accumulate the most points throughout the television show's season.

How To Score Points

There are three ways to get points:

  • Pick the overall winner of the show at the beginning of the season - if you're correct, you get 40 points. If your selection finishes 2nd, you get 20 points. If your selection is 3rd, you get 10 points. Note - if you make your overall selection late (after the week they are due), you will get less points for being correct (decreases 25% each week).
  • Pick who gets voted off each week (or is removed from the show). You have 20 points to allocate to who you think will be voted off each week. You can bet all your points on one player, or spread your 20 points among multiple contestants. You receive the number of points you allocate to the person who is voted off (or is removed from the show).
  • Bonus questions - this is an optional feature in the pool as designated by your pool commissioner. Bonus point questions are created by Fun Office Pools and are typically worth 2-5 points each. A sample bonus question is "Which tribe will receive immunity this week?". Your pool can have 0, 1 or 2 bonus questions each week. Note: No bonus questions during week 1.

When Are Picks Due

Picks are due each week before the show airs on the east coast - typically 8:00 pm ET on Thursdays. You can change your picks after submitting them up until the deadline, so it is advisable to get your picks in early. Picks for the overall winner are due with the first week picks.

Default Picks

If you forget to get your picks in you'll get the default picks (picks made by Fun Office Pools admins), so you won't be shut out if you miss a week. However, there is no default pick for the overall winner - so you need to make that pick after you sign up or you'll lose your chance for 40 points at the end of the pool

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Dancing With The Stars

Goal

To accumulate the most points throughout the television show's season.

How To Score Points

There are three ways to get points:

  • Pick the overall winner of the show at the beginning of the season - if you're correct, you get 40 points. If your selection finishes 2nd, you get 20 points. If your selection is 3rd, you get 10 points. Note - if you make your overall selection late (after the week they are due), you will get less points for being correct (decreases 25% each week).
  • Pick who gets voted off each week. You have 20 points to allocate to who you think will be voted off each week. You can bet all your points on one player, or spread your 20 points among multiple contestants. You receive the number of points you allocate to the person who is voted off
  • Bonus questions - this is an optional feature in the pool as designated by your pool commissioner. Bonus point questions are created by Fun Office Pools and are typically worth 2-5 points each. A sample bonus question is "Who is in the bottom two but is safe?". Your pool can have 0, 1 or 2 bonus questions each week.

When Are Picks Due

Picks are due each week before the elimination show airs on the east coast - typically 8:00 pm ET on Tuesdays. You can change your picks after submitting them up until the deadline, so it is advisable to get your picks in early. Picks for the overall winner are due with the first week picks.

Default Picks

If you forget to get your picks in you'll get the default picks (picks made by Fun Office Pools admins), so you won't be shut out if you miss a week. However, there is no default pick for the overall winner - so you need to make that pick after you sign up or you'll lose your chance for 40 points at the end of the pool

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College Football Pick'em Pool

Goal

To accumulate the most points throughout the regular college football season by correctly predicting the winners of a set of football games.

Teams Used For The Pool

The pool commissioner selects which teams your pool will use when he sets up the pool. Currently, these will be the only teams you pick each week. We will be adding a feature that allows you to add select games throughout the season, but this may not make it onto Fun Office Pools until the 2008 season.

Making Your Selections

Each week you need to pick the winner of each game. If your pool is a weighted pool, you also need to apply confidence points - the higher the confidence you have in being right, the more points you should assign to the game. If your pool has 10 teams, the games will be worth between 1 and 10 points. If you are not using the weighted option, all games are worth 1 point each. You score the points for the game if you correctly pick the winner.

When Are Picks Due

Picks are due before the games start - and all picks are locked at noon on Saturday. So if you have a Thursday night game, you must make your pick on that game before it kicks off. However, you will still be able to change your other picks after that game up until the other games start or noon Saturday, whichever occurs first.

Default Picks

If you forget to get your picks in you'll get the default picks - which is the home team in each game. For default confidence points, the points are given in alphabetical order of the home team - highest confidence points first.

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GENERAL QUESTIONS

How much does it cost to host an office pool on Fun Office Pools?

Fun Office Pools is completely FREE. There are no hidden charges. You may invite as many of your friends as you like to your pools without paying any fees. Please tell your friends about us and invite as many people as you like to your pools. Back to top.

I'm getting reminders and I don't want them...how do I change that? Or, I'm not getting reminders, please send them to me.

You can opt in or out of receiving reminders or notices of new pools by updating your profile. You can change this by clicking the Your Profile link in the upper right hand corner of the main page. From there you can change your username, your password, your email, etc., and you can also change whether you opt in or out of reminder emails from Fun Office Pools

What Pools does Fun Office Pools offer?

Fun Office Pools offers all types of Office Pools, including sports office pools, reality TV office pools, entertainment office pools, and specialty office pools. Current plans include:

  • Sports Office Pools: NFL Office Pools, College Football Office Pools, College Football Bowl Pools, March Madness Pools, Superbowl Office Pools, MLB Baseball Playoff Pools, and NBA Basketball Playoff Pools
  • Reality TV Office Pools: CBS Survivor Office Pools, Dancing With The Stars Office Pools, The Amazing Race Office Pools, and American Idol Office Pools
  • Entertainment Office Pools: The Oscars Office Pool
  • Specialty Office Pools: The 2008 Election!

If you have suggestions for other pools, let us know in the Send Us a Note. Back to top.

How do I create an Office Pool?

Creating a pool is easy and can be done either directly on the Home Page of Fun Office Pools or by selecting the Create A Pool Tab. Select which type of pool you want to create and you'll be taken to the Office Pool Parameter page. On this page you can enter various parameters for the pool, and choose any options available for that pool. After choosing the options, create the pool and you'll be taken to a screen that allows you to join your own pool. Create a selection or use one of your existing selections (if available for this type of pool). That's it. After creating the pool, it's time to invite your friends and to make your weekly picks! Back to top.

What is a Selection?

A Selection is your entry into a pool. A Player may have multiple Selections in each pool - it's up to the Pool Commissioner to allow it or not - if you don't want it, you can kick out a second Selection from a player - see Manage Members under the Pools Management Menu (you get there from the Your Pools Page and select the Pool you want to manage). You create your Selection when you Join A Pool. After creating a Selection, you make the picks for the Selection by clicking on the status link on either the Home Page of Fun Office Pools or the Your Pools Page. Back to top.

How do I invite my friends to an Office Pool?

The best way is to create an Address Book of people you will want to invite to pools you run. To do that, go to the Your Pools Page and select the pool you are going to invite people into. Select the Address Book tab on the left and start entering in people's email addresses. Once you've loaded up your Address Book, click on the Invite People tab on the left. This will list your current Address Book and you can check those people you want to invite. You can also add other people not in your address book on this page. Once you've selected all the people you want to invite, click the submit button and you'll be taken to a page where you can add a personal message to the invitation. Then hit the Send Invitation button and emails will be automatically sent to all those people. Back to top.

Can people join my pool after it starts?

In some pools, you can allow people to join late (the NFL Bonus Pick'em Pool and the College Football Weighted Pool allow this). In other pools, you can't (the NFL Survivor/Suicide Pool does not allow late entries for obvious reasons). For pools that allow late entries, if you want that to happen, set the Pool Deadline date to be later than the default date suggested when setting up your pool. Once the Deadline date passes, no one will be allowed to join this pool. Back to top.

What is the difference between a Public and a Private Pool?

A public pool does not require a password - but then anyone that knows the name of your pool can join. A private pool requires a password and only people you tell the password to can join this pool. Back to top.

How do default picks work?

We know that you're busy and sometimes forget to get your picks in. All of the Fun Office Pools have default picks in case you don't get your picks in time. It varies on how the Default picks are done, but in general they are not bad picks. In NFL Bonus Pick'em, the Default Picks are the favorites. In the Survivor/Suicide Pool, it's either the best remaining team or worst remaining team (depending if you are picking winners or losers) as determined by last year's draft order. Back to top.

I made a mistake when I set up the pool - how can I change the options?

You can change any of the parameters you set when you created the pool by going to the Your Pools Page and selecting the pool you want to modify. On the next page, select Change Pool Parameters and then modify any of the parameters listed. Note, though, that if the pool has already started, changing some of the parameters may void selections already made or not make sense (changing winners to losers in the Survivor/Suicide pool, for instance). Back to top.

SPECIFIC POOL QUESTIONS

What is an NFL Bonus Pick'em Pool?

In an NFL Bonus Pick'em Pool you select which NFL team you think will win each week. Point spreads are not used in determining the winner - you are just picking who will win each week. However, the bonus part comes from the spread - if the spread is less than 3 points, you get 1 point for picking the winner regardless of whether the winner was favored or not. If the spread less than 7 but at least 3 points, you'll get 2 points instead of 1 if you pick the underdog. And if the spread is 7 or more points, you can get 3 points instead of 1 for picking the underdog. Picking the favorite is always worth 1 point. Back to top.

What are the options available in the NFL Bonus Pick'em Pool?

The options in the NFL Bonus Pick'em Pool include the start week of the pool, the end week, the sign up deadline, and whether the pool is private or public. You can set the sign up deadline to be after the pool starts in this type of pool. Late joiners will receive 0 points for the weeks they missed. Back to top.

What is an NFL Survivor/Suicide Pool?

An NFL Survivor Pool is one where each week you pick one NFL team that you think will win. If the team wins, you survive to the next week. If they lose, you're out of the pool. This continues until only one player remains in the pool. There's a catch, though. You can only pick the same team once during the entire pool. So picking Indianapolis or San Diego repeatedly is not allowed. NFL Survivor (also known as a Suicide Pool) has several variations: you can set it up so you pick losers instead of winners, you can allow the same team to be picked more than once, and you can set up the pool so you're allowed to miss one or two times before being eliminated. Back to top.

What are the options available in the NFL Survivor/Suicide Pool?

The options in the NFL Survivor/Suicide Pool include the start week of the pool, the end week, whether the pool is private or public, whether you are picking winning or losing teams, how many times you can miss a pick and remain in a pool, and how many times you can pick the same team during a pool. The sign up deadline is automatically determined by the start week you select. In this pool you cannot join the pool after the start of the pool. Back to top.

What is a College Football Weighted Pool?

A College Football Weighted Office Pool allows you and your friends to pick the winners of your favorite college football teams. When you set up the office pool, you decide if you want the pool to be Weighted or Unweighted. In a Weighted pool, you assign confidence points to your teams based on your confidence in selecting the winner of the game - spreads are not used in this Office Pool. If you have 10 teams in your pool, you assign 10 points to the game you are most confident in, 9 to the next most confident game, etc. down to 1 point for the game you are most unsure about. In an Unweighted Pool, all games are worth 1 point. Just pick the team you think will win (again, no spreads are used in this pool). After you decide which type of pool you want, pick the teams you want to play each week. How many teams you pick is up to you - but if you are picking a lot of teams, we advise you use the Unweighted form of the pool. It takes a while to assign all the confidence points. Back to top.

What are the options available in the College Football Weighted Pool?

The options in the College Football Weighted Pool include the start week of the pool, the end week, the sign up deadline, whether the pool is private or public, and whether the pool is weighted (using confidence points) or not (all games worth 1 point). You can set the sign up deadline to be after the pool starts in this type of pool. Late joiners will receive 0 points for the weeks they missed. You also select which teams you will have in your pool for the College Football Weighted Pool. Back to top.

Can I change the teams in a College Football Weighted Pool after the pool starts?

No. Back to top.

How will the Bonus Questions work?

Bonus Questions are an additional way to score points in any pool that uses them. Today, only the Reality TV pools have bonus questions, but that doesn't mean other pools won't have them. Each week, new questions are asked to help spice up the regular weekly pick process and add some chance for those in the back of the pack to make up some room. You can only select 1 answer per question, but sometimes more than one answer may be right. In those cases, all who answer correctly will get points. Also, we have a concept for Early Deadlines for questions during performance nights that must be answered prior to the performances. For example, we might ask which Dancing contestant receives the most points from the judges? As with all FunOfficePools, we'll have default answers for those that don't get their picks in on time. Back to top.

 

Upcoming Pools


  • Reality TV Office Pools:
    • Amazing Race Pool (13th edition - TBA)
    • Celebrity Apprentice Pool (January 2009)
  • Sports Office Pools:
    • NCAA College Football Pool (August)
    • NFL Office Pools (August)

Previous Pools

  • NFL Pick'em Pool
  • NFL Survivor Pool
  • NCAA College Football Pick'em Pool
  • NCAA College Football Bowl Pick'em Pool
  • CBS Survivor Pool
  • Survivor China Pool
  • The Amazing Race Pool
  • Dancing with the Stars Pool